James Carter Cathcart dies at 71: Anime voice actor's cause of death explored

James Carter Cathcart, the voice actor best known for his work for the Pokémon franchise, died on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. He had been battling throat cancer for years and retired from work in 2023 after completing his work on the English dub of Pokémon: Ultimate Journeys.

As per TMZ, Cathcart died in hospice care in Forest Hills, New York. His wife, Martha Jacobi, shared the news of his death on Thursday via a Facebook post. Carter was also a musician and had played with groups including the rock band, The Laughing Dogs.

He was 71 years old at the time of his death.

More about James Carter Cathcart

On Thursday, James' wife, Martha, shared news about his death on his Facebook fan club page. She wrote:

JCC died, peacefully, very early in the morning, on Tuesday 7/8/25, at Calvary Hospital, in the Bronx.

She also shared the funeral details on the post:

The funeral will be in early August, In New York. Memorial designations are still in process, pending conversations with one of the charities that was close to Jimmy's heart. I will post those here when they are in place.

The post continued:

Thanks to all of Jimmy’s fans over the years! Giving you joy was why he worked so hard on his craft. Please know how much he appreciated you!

Erica Schroeder, a fellow voice actor best known for voicing Lyserg Diethel in the anime adaptations of Shaman King, posted on social media, remembering the legebd. The post read:

''Rest in peace dear sweet man. 💔 I will miss you. The community will miss you. The world will miss you. One of the most joyful, exuberant, kind-hearted and talented souls no longer walks with us. James Carter Cathcart you were one of a kind, a gentle, beautiful, playful genius and I was happy to call you my friend.''

The post concluded with:

''Master of the pen, piano and microphone. Friend to many. Loving father and husband. Thank you for your gifts.''

Cathcart began his journey as a voice actor by debuting as Fergus in Pokémon: The First Movie, and then also worked as script adaptor for the English dub from Season 5 through Season 25. Other than working for the Pokémon franchise, Carter also voiced other popular characters, including Vector the Crocodile in Sonic X and the Shadow the Hedgehog video game.

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He also contributed to anime series such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Slayers, TMNT, Mission Odyssey, and others. As per reports, Cathcart was diagnosed with cancer back in 2023 and had not responded well to the initial treatments and needed aggressive chemotherapy.

Cathcart was also often credited under pseudonyms like Jimmy Zoppi, Billy Beach, and Nicole Cathcart. He will be remembered for a long time by fans of anime, voice acting, and the Pokémon franchise.

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